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Shocked that Ganguly has been denied another term as BCCI chief: Banerjee
A political row erupted last week over Ganguly’s exit as the BCCI chief when Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “trying to humiliate” the former India skipper for not joining the ruling party at the Centre
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she was shocked to know that Sourav Ganguly has been denied another term as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief and requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the former Indian cricket captain to contest the election to International Cricket Council (ICC)’s chairman post.
Roger Binny is set to replace Ganguly as the BCCI chief. He is the only candidate to have filed his nomination for the post. Ganguly is expected to contest elections to return as the Cricket Association of Bengal president.
“This is my humble request to the Prime Minister. Please take care. Sourav must be allowed to contest the ICC elections,” Banerjee told reporters before leaving for north Bengal.
She questioned why was Ganguly denied the second term. “What is his fault? Everybody knows him. Every nation which plays cricket knows him. The world knows him. We are proud of him. He is the pride of the country. He is a popular figure. That is why he is being denied the second term. I am really shocked.”
A political row erupted last week over Ganguly’s exit as the BCCI chief when Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “trying to humiliate” the former India skipper for not joining the ruling party at the Centre.
Banerjee said Ganguly is not a political party member. “We would request the [BJP-led Union] government not to take it politically or vindictively... Take a decision for [the betterment of] cricket and the sports.”
In September, the Supreme Court waived off the three-year “cooling-off” period for all office-bearers who have served two consecutive terms of three years each at the BCCI, paving the way for Ganguly and Jay Shah’s continuation as president and secretary of the board.
Banerjee said the court allowed Ganguly and Shah to continue. “I do not know why Amit Shah’s son [Jay Shah] continued in the board and not Ganguly...I do not have anything to say if Jay Shah continues. I am not BJP that I would criticise him. If anybody does good work I would support, else I would pull up. But why was Sourav dropped? We want to know.”
The BJP hit back accusing the TMC of maligning Ganguly by politicising the issue. “The TMC, by dragging Ganguly into politics, is tarnishing his image and stature. We do not want to unnecessarily get into this politics. If they have so much love for Ganguly, then why was Shahrukh Khan made the brand ambassador of West Bengal instead of Ganguly? The TMC is just trying to divert attention from the burning issues of the state,” said BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya.
